At least 14 people were killed and 38 others injured when a bomb-laden bus exploded on the Pan-American Highway in southwest Colombia on Saturday. The attack, which targeted a vehicle traveling toward the Venezuelan border, has intensified the security crisis in the Cauca department.
According to reports from BioBioChile, the explosion involved a 'cylinder bomb' launched at a bus in the El Túnel sector of the Cajibío municipality. The blast destroyed several other vehicles on the road and caused significant damage to the highway infrastructure.
While initial reports from the Cauca Health Secretariat suggested a lower casualty count, Governor Octavio Guzmán updated the figures on X, confirming 1-4 fatalities—all of whom were civilians—and 38 injuries, including five minors.
Al Jazeera reported that the Colombian presidency has linked the attack to a dissident FARC leader known as Marlon. The Colombian military has specifically attributed the bombing to the Jaime Martínez column, a unit belonging to the Estado Mayor Central (EMC).
Military response and international condemnation
The Jaime Martínez column is part of the primary FARC dissident group led by Néstor Gregorio Vera, also known as 'Iván Mordisco,' the most wanted man in Colombia. The Army also linked this attack to recent cylinder bomb strikes against two military battalions in Cali and Palmira.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez Suárez arrived in Popayán, the capital of Cauca, on Saturday night alongside high-ranking military and police officials. The minister traveled from Cali following Friday's attacks on the battalions to coordinate a response with the military leadership.
Governor Guzmán described the impact of the explosion on the local community, stating, “This is a tragedy that deeply mourns and fills our people with pain.”
In response to the surge in violence, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia issued a condemnation of the recent attacks in the Cauca and Valle del Cauca regions. The UN office stated that the 'indiscriminate attacks' are prohibited under International Humanitarian Law.
Authorities in Popayán are currently meeting to define military actions intended to locate the perpetrators responsible for the recent wave of instability in the southwest of the country, according to the Ministry of Defense.
